Mine-curtain raiser.



No. 787,200. PATENTED APR. Il, 1905. G. W. MANLOVE. MINE CURTAIN RAISER.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 22. 1904. yf.

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y, l I. www y W. h k AT 'ron NEY Patented April 11, 190sl UNTTnn STATES PATENT @Finca (lCORfrll lV. MANLOVI, OF CLEVELAND7 OHIO.

lVllNE-CURTAIN RAISEF?.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,200, dated April 11, 1905.

Application filed October 22,1904. Serial No. 229,547.

.To f/l/ IIJ/Unt it muy coll/cern:

Be itknown that l, (iconen lV. M.\NLovn, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of lleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful lmprovemei'it in Mine-Curtain Kaisers, of which the following a specification.

The invention relates to an automatic mechanism for raising and lowering a mine-cui'- tain by lifting its lower edg'e upward and gathering the curtain in folds o1' for operating other forms of mobile mine-partitions; and the object of the invention is to provide means for controlling and cushii'ining the mechanism so that it will not damage the curtain or other partition or rack itself |)y be ing stopped too suddenly at the end of the opening' mi'ivement and at the same time will permit the curtain to stand open and to be closed without restraint, and it is furthermore necessary that the end of the opening' movementshould be controlled and cushioned without materially affecting' the rapidity of the remainder of the movementthat is to say, it is desirable that the curtain should be raised quite quickly and without any retarding restraint to a point near the roof of the mineentry, so as to surely clear above a passing car, and thus the controlling and cushioning means should only come into effective play at or near the end of the movement.

lVlien mine-ears are pushed by hand ori pulled by mules, the movement is usually so slow and their weight so moderate that when they ride on the depressible bars usually depended on to operate the curtain-raising mechanism they do not depress the same quickly enough to damage the curtain or the intervening mechanism; but with the introduction of motor-cars for hauling the loads, the same being quite heavy and capable of very rapid movement, the quick depression of the oper ating-bars and the consequent rapid and force ful upward movement of the lifting devices soon results in injury to or destruction ofthe curtain or the operating mechanism by the sudden stop at the end of the movement. This ditliculty is overcome and the object named above is attained by the construction,

mechanism, and arrangement illustrated in the accompanying' drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of a Section of mine-track with a curtain and the improved raisingmechanism mounted thereon; Fig. 2, a fragmentary elevation of a section of track, showing the inclined end depressible bars; and Fig. 3, a detached vertical section of the cushion-cylinder with the plunger therein.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

The curtain-raising mechanism used to illustrate the invention comprises on each side of the track a supporting-post l, having the short rack 2 thereon and the lifting-arms 3, having the pinion-segmenti thereon meshing with thc rack, by means of which the liftingarms are adapted to rock on the posts. The plate l", having the L-shapell guide-slot 1b, is provided on the post at the side of the rack, and in this slot the pin si on the side of the piniOnseg'mentis entered and operates, by means of which slotand pin the rack and pinion are held in mesh. 'lhe lifting-arms are normally inclined downward to an attachment or connection with the lower edge of the curtain 5, which is suspended from the top on the further side of the frame 6. An operatingarm T is securely mounted on each end of a transverse rock-shaft S, iournalcd under the track-rails 9, Vfrom which shaft the rock-lever l() is extended upward, and each operatingarm is connected to the free end of the adjacent lifting-arm by a link 1l.

The lifting' mechanism is operated by means of the dcpressible bars l2, normally located slightly above and along the outer side of the track-rail t), with the end section l2" inclined downward at its free end to the level of the rail. The depressible bars are pivoted on the short arms 13 and 13 of the compound cranks H, which are transversely pivoted at the side of the track, the long arms or rock-levers l0 and lOlof whichcranks are joined by the connecting-rods 1G. The connecting-rod lT intervcnes between the series of cranks on the opposite sides of the curtain and is connected tothe rock-lever lo" above its pivot and to the extension 1S of the rock-lever l0" below its pivot. It will be noticed that when a carwheel strikes the inclined end section 12 of the operating-bar if the car is heavy and the speed is rapid the depressible rails will be forced downward almost instantaneously, with the result that the lifting-arms, with the curtain, are thrown suddenly upward with great force and will strike a severe blow against the top of the frame or the roof of the mineentry, and the curtain is liable to be cut and the operating mechanism damaged or broken.

To control and cushion the end of the movement of the mechanism, a cylinder 19 is mounted on end, one on each side of the track, adjacent to and preferably underneath the rear ends of the operating-arms. For convenience each cylinder is preferably placed in a pit 2O at the side of the track and is provided with the trunnion-support 21 to permit a slight oscillation of the cylinder. rlhe lower ends of the cylinders are closed except for the exhaust-apertures 22, which are preferably located in the sides adjacent to the lower ends and are arranged to be closed at will, as by the plug-screws 23, so that the total area of the exhaust-apertures can be regulated.

In each cylinder is provided a plunger or piston 24, having the middle port or opening 25, Which port is provided With the ordinary check-valve 26, arranged to close the port against the passage or pressure of air from the cushion-chamber 27, formed in the cylinder below the plunger, and to be opened by the passage or pressure of air from above it. The piston-rod 28 is preferably guided by the bracket 29, formed or attached on the upper and preferably open end of the cylinder, and the lupper end of the piston-rod is pivotally A connected to the operating-arm 7 ,as illustrated by full lines in Fig. l, or in some cases it may be desirable to connect it with the liftingarms, as shown by broken lines in the same figure. The trunnion-support `for the cylinder permits it to go and come with the movements of the operating-arm, as shown by the broken line in Fig. l.

Vhen the operating-arm is suddenly thrown downward by the action of the mechanism for raising the curtain, the valve in the piston is closed and the air which is thus caught in the cushion-chamber is compressed and forms a cushion to resist the operation of the mechanism. This resistance is slight at first, but increases in intensity as the piston is forced down, and at the end of the stroke-that is, when the curtain is raised to a point at or near the top of its frame or the rootl of the minethe resistance is at the maximum. The action of the mechanism is so quick that there is not time enough for'an escape of air through the exhaust-apertures sufiicient to materially affect the compression of the air as a cushion; but when the operation is completed the compressed air rapidly exhausts through the apertures and relieves the mechanism of any restraint while the curtain remains raised. When the curtain is being lowered and the piston is being raised by the reverse action or' the mechanism, the piston-valve is opened, so there is no restraint in the movement.

It is not intended to limit the scope oi'l the invention to the particular operating mechanism used to illustrate it or the specific form of` cylinder and piston or of check-valve and eX- haust-apertures, as these features of construction and arrangement are evidently not essential to the general spirit of the invention. It is also evident that the exhaust-apertures and check-valve are not essential to the proper working of the piston in the cylinder for cushioning the direct action of the mechanism. When the exhaust-apertures and check-valve are omitted, the compressed air in the cushionchamber serves to assist or augment the reverse operation of the mechanism for closing the curtain.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is`

l. In combination, a mine-curtain-raising mechanism having a rocking arm therein, an adjacent'cylinder with a trunnion-support and having a guide-bracket thereon. there being exhaust-apertures in the cylinder, a piston in the cylinder having a port with a check-valve therein, and a rod connecting the piston and the rocking arm and adapted to operate in the guide-bracket.

2. In combination, a mine-curtain-raising mechanism having a rocking arm therein, an adjacent cylinder having exhaust-apertures therein, a piston in the cylinder having a port with a check-valve therein, and a connectingrod between the piston and the rocking arm.

3. In combination, a mobile mine-partitionoperating mechanism, an adjacent cylinder open at the top and having a piston therein, and operative connections between the piston and the mechanism, there being means for a restricted exhaust from the cylinder when the piston is thrust inward and means for freely admitting air into the cylinder when the piston is drawn outward.

ln witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEO. WV. MANLOVE.

Witnesses:

CHAs. J. DIEBoLD, H. E. GREsHAu.

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